where's the passion
I think an interesting aspect of Gattaca that we talked about in class is the seeming sterility of the relationship between Vincent and Irene. There is barely any physical contact between the two (before they have sex) and their conversations are always dry and emotionless. In addition, the rigid and severe way in which they always dress helps to strip them of their gender, helping to reduce their interaction from an emotional connection to more of a business relationship.
This seems to be an aspect of the whole world in which Gattaca is set, as is evidenced by the scene where Irene has Vincent's hair analyzed. The place where Irene goes to do this appears to offer some sort of off the street gene analysis service. Right before Irene goes a woman has a lip swab analyzed, ostensibly to find the genetic makeup of some man she has just kissed. Rather than being excited about meeting someone she like, or starting a new relationship, her most urgent impulse is to find out how good his genes are, so much so that his saliva is still fresh on her lips.
Whether or not this reflects the corporatization of the world in general or specifically advances in genetic technology is unclear. It is probably true that the advent of the latter is unavoidable with the evolution of the former anyways.
This seems to be an aspect of the whole world in which Gattaca is set, as is evidenced by the scene where Irene has Vincent's hair analyzed. The place where Irene goes to do this appears to offer some sort of off the street gene analysis service. Right before Irene goes a woman has a lip swab analyzed, ostensibly to find the genetic makeup of some man she has just kissed. Rather than being excited about meeting someone she like, or starting a new relationship, her most urgent impulse is to find out how good his genes are, so much so that his saliva is still fresh on her lips.
Whether or not this reflects the corporatization of the world in general or specifically advances in genetic technology is unclear. It is probably true that the advent of the latter is unavoidable with the evolution of the former anyways.
posted by David Staub at 12:40 AM
2 Comments:
With more information out there on the internet and such these days, I feel like we have a modern day version of this genetic analysis. For example, a simple google search of someone's name may bring up several revealing facts about a person, some of which the person may not wish to be public. Another example that comes to mind is facebook, which kind of serves as a social (as opposed to genetic) analysis of a person's life, etc.
I'd say that based on the overall monotony that is present throughout the film, the reason for this lack of emotion is due to the corporatization of the world. That being said corporatization always relies on the development of technology that makes some element of life less personal. Whether it is the internet in our society (as Amit describes), or if it is genetic alteration that allows for the creation of "perfect" children. The total obliteration of the individual is a result of a world where too much stress is placed above a development or technology and the spirit of individuals is forgotten.
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